Istanbul

[Little Monty]

Just saw this posted elsewhere by Viking media (Australia);

 

We've launched six new ocean cruise itineraries that cover all the highlights of the Mediterranean, including a brand-new port of call for Viking: Istanbul, Turkey.

Departing in 2021, these newly released cruises are combinations of two or more of Viking’s most popular existing Mediterranean itineraries.

Check them out at: http://*****/VikingNEWMedCombo

[Pushka]

25 minutes ago, Little Monty said:

Just saw this posted elsewhere by Viking media (Australia);

 

We've launched six new ocean cruise itineraries that cover all the highlights of the Mediterranean, including a brand-new port of call for Viking: Istanbul, Turkey.

Departing in 2021, these newly released cruises are combinations of two or more of Viking’s most popular existing Mediterranean itineraries.

Check them out at: http://*****/VikingNEWMedCombo

That’s interesting that the ships are starting to return to Istanbul. It’s a fabulous port. 

[Vineyard View]

I noticed recently that it is not only Viking returning to Istanbul. We very much enjoyed a couple days in Istanbul in 2014. DH and I discussed an itinerary that includes Istanbul next year, but then decided on a different. 

[zitsky]

I couldn't get the link to work but I found the cruises pretty easily on the viking site.

[Peregrina651]

21 hours ago, Little Monty said:

Just saw this posted elsewhere by Viking media (Australia);

 

We've launched six new ocean cruise itineraries that cover all the highlights of the Mediterranean, including a brand-new port of call for Viking: Istanbul, Turkey.

Departing in 2021, these newly released cruises are combinations of two or more of Viking’s most popular existing Mediterranean itineraries.

Check them out at: http://*****/VikingNEWMedCombo

 

Just to explain, the link has been crippled because it links to a website that is forbidden under Cruise Critic rules (like a travel agency).  The ***** in the link is the giveaway. CC automatically replaces words on the forbidden list with *****. Travel agencies aren't the only words that are ****ed on CC; the list also includes swear words and other trigger words. 

 

Little Monty can't even tell us the words that are missing because that is in breach of CC guidelines. Too many breaches of the guidelines and you can be kicked out.

 

[Little Monty]

1 minute ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

 

Little Monty can't even tell us the words that are missing because that is in breach of CC guidelines. Too many breaches of the guidelines and you can be kicked out.

 

 

Woops .. thank you for the warning Peregrina651

[zitsky]

Any suggestions for times to get best weather on an Athens to Istanbul cruise?  Cooler temps and no rain.  April and September maybe?

[Clay Clayton]

We did an Athens to Istanbul (via Alexandria) cruise on Norwegian in late April/early May 10 years ago and had beautiful weather. Warm to mildly hot in the daytime, warm to mildly cool at night. I don’t recollect any rain but it was 12 days and a while back so my memory could Ben mistaken. 

 

I do remember we were the only folks who went in the ocean in Mykonos as the water was still chilly. The other folks sunning on the beach looked at us like we were crazy!

[Vineyard View]

Our cruise prior to Viking included several ports in Turkey and several Greek Island plus Egypt. We sailed in October and the weather was really great. Crowds lower as well. 

[zitsky]

I looked at pre- and post- add-ons for Ancient Mediterranean Treasures in Athens and Istanbul.  I was a little disappointed.  It looked like they cut back on the tours and expect you to do a lot on your own.

[Peregrina651]

8 hours ago, zitsky said:

Any suggestions for times to get best weather on an Athens to Istanbul cruise?  Cooler temps and no rain.  April and September maybe?

 

Well, you can't ask me because when we did Istanbul 20 years ago, we did it in January with the old Renaissance cruises--and loved it. It was snowing when we landed but at least Mom and I were not melting in the heat. My parents had done the cruise in August just a few month earlier and my mother never left the ship; she made my father take her back and the price was so good that they invited us to go with them. We loved the city and Kushadasi/ Ephesus and were glad that we got to see them.

 

I'm happy to see that Viking is trying to put Istanbul back on their itineraries. When they first launched in 2015 it was the backbone of their Mediterranean cruises. Unfortunately, not too long thereafter, they pulled out of Istanbul. It was a very popular destination and I wish them luck in their attempt to return but at the same time I will preach cautious optimism, sure that Viking puts personal safety at the top of its priority list and will pull the port should the situation warrant -- just as they did with Algiers and Tunis.

Edited May 14, 2019 by Peregrina651

[CharTrav]

I made a post on this yesterday. Posted an updated version of my combined cruise schedule spreadsheet. Link to it is in my signature box. It was by chance that I checked out the VO web site yesterday and discovered the new Istanbul itineraries for 2021. Dropbox links do not require an account. Instructions for how to download are provided there as well. I did a tour of Turkey including Istanbul in 2012. Truly memorable. 

Edited May 15, 2019 by CharTrav

[CharTrav]

13 hours ago, zitsky said:

Any suggestions for times to get best weather on an Athens to Istanbul cruise?  Cooler temps and no rain.  April and September maybe?

When I did Turkey in 2012 it was early March. We did a loop starting and ending in Istanbul that included Ankara, Cappadocia, Izmir (Ephesus), and Cannakkale. The weather in the interior was chilly with snow on the ground still. In contrast, the weather in Instanbul and Ephesus was quite nice, hot even. So April should be just  fine. I can't speak for September. 

[Aussie Cruise Nuts]

On 5/13/2019 at 6:23 PM, Little Monty said:

Just saw this posted elsewhere by Viking media (Australia);

 

We've launched six new ocean cruise itineraries that cover all the highlights of the Mediterranean, including a brand-new port of call for Viking: Istanbul, Turkey.

Departing in 2021, these newly released cruises are combinations of two or more of Viking’s most popular existing Mediterranean itineraries.

Check them out at: http://*****/VikingNEWMedCombo

 

LM.    As you know we are currently onboard Orion - Sea day  3 of a millpond smooth crossing of Bering Sea to Dutch Harbour.    

 I have been pondering the onboard booking benefits of a future cruise and investigated your news.   We are going to lock in the 21 night Rome to Istanbul departing 6 June 2021.   Not a bargain in Aussie shekels, but it includes a bucket list  gap of ports in our long cruising history - Venice and the Adriatic ports -  2 nights, 2 1/2 days in Venice.  WOW.   We have been to some of the ports previously, but quite a nice list of maiden ports for us. 

 

Onboard booking benefits are pretty good and I like the “Peace of Mind” flexibility which allows the booking to be rolled forward or backward with no penalty (provided within the 4 month final payment period).   It was interesting to compare the different offers between USA, UK and Aussie pax.    I thought we compared favourably.   

 

Cruise going very well and looking forward to our last 11 days of the cruise and 7 Alaskan ports plus a few days scenic cruising.    Glad we tried Viking. 

 

Rod 

[Little Monty]

8 minutes ago, Aussie Cruise Nuts said:

 

LM.    As you know we are currently onboard Orion - Sea day  3 of a millpond smooth crossing of Bering Sea to Dutch Harbour.    

 I have been pondering the onboard booking benefits of a future cruise and investigated your news.   We are going to lock in the 21 night Rome to Istanbul departing 6 June 2021.   Not a bargain in Aussie shekels, but it includes a bucket list  gap of ports in our long cruising history - Venice and the Adriatic ports -  2 nights, 2 1/2 days in Venice.  WOW.   We have been to some of the ports previously, but quite a nice list of maiden ports for us. 

 

Onboard booking benefits are pretty good and I like the “Peace of Mind” flexibility which allows the booking to be rolled forward or backward with no penalty (provided within the 4 month final payment period).   It was interesting to compare the different offers between USA, UK and Aussie pax.    I thought we compared favourably.   

 

Cruise going very well and looking forward to our last 11 days of the cruise and 7 Alaskan ports plus a few days scenic cruising.    Glad we tried Viking. 

 

Rod 

G'day Rod .. I'm glad things are going well.

 

And wow indeed .. 21 days Rome to Istanbul sounds wonderful. I'll have a look at on-line prices once I finish typing this - not that I think we would be able to join you. We are going to South America with Viking in Nov 2020 and probably won't do anything big again until late 2021 - depending on health, budget and other considerations of course 😀

 

Just FYI .. and I don't want to worry you and I am sure you researched things better than we did - but ...

 

In July 2017 we were on-board Star enjoying our first Viking experience and after a couple of wines (perhaps a couple too many) we visited the future cruise consultant and spoke to him about a Med cruise. The deal sounded so good (including the '4 month' window where we could swap to something different etc) we signed up on the spot.

 

The next day I emailed the Viking agent in Australia through whom we booked our first cruise and told her the great news (insert 'ah-oh' sound here) and she said (in an email) bookings made on-board were under US terms and conditions and would not be honoured in Australia - especially the part about the 4 month window for changing.

 

What ?

 

Anyway I went back and forward with emails for a couple of days trying to work out what to do. In the end I think we made such a fuss with Guest Services on-board they wanted to get rid of us (well, me) and agreed to refund the deposit paid. The A-based agent told me later the best thing I could have done was get (in writing) the best on-board offer and email her to see if she could match it. If she could we would then book with her under Aust terms and conditions.

 

What a drama.

 

In any case, that was July 2017 and the whole process may be much different now and maybe our Australian agent was just trying to get us to book with her .. my only suggestion is that you double check that the on-board booking can be transferred to an A-based agent with all terms and conditions (and price) as described to you.

 

Enjoy the rest of your trip. LM

[Peregrina651]

Let's clarify the "change booking without penalty thing."

 

For US pax, the on-board booking perk is as follows:  A booking can be changed up to 121 days prior to sailing without penalty. The penalty avoided is $100pp. Once you reach the 120 point, there are penalties galore for cancelling and they are spelled out in the Terms and Conditions (which are easy to find in the footer of any Viking webpage).

 

For other countries, the rules are different and this perk might not be available, as LM has already illustrated.

 

 

 

[Aussie Cruise Nuts]

21 hours ago, Little Monty said:

G'day Rod .. I'm glad things are going well.

 

And wow indeed .. 21 days Rome to Istanbul sounds wonderful. I'll have a look at on-line prices once I finish typing this - not that I think we would be able to join you. We are going to South America with Viking in Nov 2020 and probably won't do anything big again until late 2021 - depending on health, budget and other considerations of course 😀

 

Just FYI .. and I don't want to worry you and I am sure you researched things better than we did - but ...

 

In July 2017 we were on-board Star enjoying our first Viking experience and after a couple of wines (perhaps a couple too many) we visited the future cruise consultant and spoke to him about a Med cruise. The deal sounded so good (including the '4 month' window where we could swap to something different etc) we signed up on the spot.

 

The next day I emailed the Viking agent in Australia through whom we booked our first cruise and told her the great news (insert 'ah-oh' sound here) and she said (in an email) bookings made on-board were under US terms and conditions and would not be honoured in Australia - especially the part about the 4 month window for changing.

 

What ?

 

Anyway I went back and forward with emails for a couple of days trying to work out what to do. In the end I think we made such a fuss with Guest Services on-board they wanted to get rid of us (well, me) and agreed to refund the deposit paid. The A-based agent told me later the best thing I could have done was get (in writing) the best on-board offer and email her to see if she could match it. If she could we would then book with her under Aust terms and conditions.

 

What a drama.

 

In any case, that was July 2017 and the whole process may be much different now and maybe our Australian agent was just trying to get us to book with her .. my only suggestion is that you double check that the on-board booking can be transferred to an A-based agent with all terms and conditions (and price) as described to you.

 

Enjoy the rest of your trip. LM

 

Thanks LM.     Seems this issue has been resolved.    The Future Cruise Consultant has different terms and conditions sheets for each country.   The Australian specific T&C’s fully cover the 120 day window to kick the can down the road should we desire.   Whilst his verbal advice was “unlimited” number of can kicks/cruise changes can be made, our Aus T&C sheet was missing this important detail.    The very good Future Cruise Consultant is providing my request in writing to me covering the no limitation/expiry date on number of times we can change a cruise and retain all Future Cruise benefits - subject of course to making any change PRIOR to the 120 day mark.   He confirmed the booking is under Viking Australia conditions.  

 

Furthermore,  Viking are linking my booking  to my Australian Travel Agent, and confirming the booking details and attached benefits direct to them.    All bookings, pricing etc was straight off the Viking Australia website and we received the current Aussie promo of $1,000 discount in addition to the Future Cruise and Past Guest discount.  

 

I am confident I have covered all my bases and today paid the AUD$1,000.  

 

I do appreciate your concern and advices.   CC contributors are helpful and look out for each other.   Now LM,   I need you to work on the Dutch Harbour weather.   The forecast of clearing showers started as drizzle, then to pouring rain.    It has just eased off as I write this, so we will shuttle bus into town to explore and find the Bald Eagles.

 

 Rod

[Little Monty]

1 hour ago, Aussie Cruise Nuts said:

 

Thanks LM.     Seems this issue has been resolved.    The Future Cruise Consultant has different terms and conditions sheets for each country.   The Australian specific T&C’s fully cover the 120 day window to kick the can down the road should we desire.   Whilst his verbal advice was “unlimited” number of can kicks/cruise changes can be made, our Aus T&C sheet was missing this important detail.    The very good Future Cruise Consultant is providing my request in writing to me covering the no limitation/expiry date on number of times we can change a cruise and retain all Future Cruise benefits - subject of course to making any change PRIOR to the 120 day mark.   He confirmed the booking is under Viking Australia conditions.  

 

Furthermore,  Viking are linking my booking  to my Australian Travel Agent, and confirming the booking details and attached benefits direct to them.    All bookings, pricing etc was straight off the Viking Australia website and we received the current Aussie promo of $1,000 discount in addition to the Future Cruise and Past Guest discount.  

 

I am confident I have covered all my bases and today paid the AUD$1,000.  

 

I do appreciate your concern and advices.   CC contributors are helpful and look out for each other.   Now LM,   I need you to work on the Dutch Harbour weather.   The forecast of clearing showers started as drizzle, then to pouring rain.    It has just eased off as I write this, so we will shuttle bus into town to explore and find the Bald Eagles.

 

 Rod

 

Well done Rod .. sounds like Viking has improved the process and you do have all the bases covered.

 

Good luck finding some Bald Eagles and good luck with the weather .. I am doing my best to make sure Amsterdam and Bergen are fine and clear for our arrival/s at the end of next week.

Cheers, LM